“We have bad experiences with the Iranians, unfortunately…. I would not be surprised… if one of the intelligence bodies, group of Iranians, were involved,” Yeffet told “The Steve Malzberg Show” on Newsmax TV.

“They will land [the aircraft] in place that nobody will know. It will take years, if not more, to find what’s happened with this aircraft.”

Yeffet, who is also a former member of the Israeli Secret Service, believes the two passengers traveling with stolen passports may be a key part of the mystery, despite authorities discounting their culpability.

“With them [was] an Iranian man [who] said [he] was a businessman but this Iranian went to purchase three tickets for the three of them and paid cash,” he said.

“Who pays cash money, in the last 20 years, to purchase three tickets… For us, it’s immediately a suspicious sign.

“They boarded the flight without any difficulty and I am afraid if they had the plan to hijack the aircraft, inside the aircraft they will have more people to assist them.”

Yeffet does not believe the Bejing-bound airliner, which had 239 passengers aboard, crashed into the sea.

“If it was in the water we would find debris. History shows us that aircraft that crash in [the] ocean will be found immediately… if not the same day then the next day,” he said.